State To Build 10000 Classrooms Ahead Of Primary School To JSS Transition
President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that the government will build more than 10,000 classrooms ahead of the transition of students from primary to junior secondary schools.
The President directed the National Treasury to make Ksh8.1 billion readily accessible for the project to support the transition from primary to secondary school in the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).
In his Mashujaa Day speech, President Uhuru stated that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the National Treasury, will define a framework for the construction of the over 10,000 classrooms needed to provide the extra learning space required for one million new students set to enter junior secondary school (JSS).
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The Head of State also urged Legislators to prioritize the program in the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF) by establishing an additional 10,000 classrooms.
This implies that 20,000 new classes should be ready by 2023 when the first CBC group begins junior secondary school.
The president stated that the classrooms, which will cost about Sh810,000 each, will be built by contractors based near the schools, and that the funds will be “remitted directly to the contractors in their respective sub-counties.” to empower locals with increased economic opportunities.
These new classrooms won’t be enough as it will be 17,000 lesser than the 37,000 needed to accommodate the awaited double intake of learners, according to the CBC task force report.
At the year of transition, CBC pioneer students will enter junior secondary school (JSS) after passing Grade Six national examinations, while current Class 7 students in the 8-4-4 system will enter Form One after finishing the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education KCPE.
The overall number of Grade 6 and Standard 8 t students expected to enter secondary school is approximately 2,571,044. However, there are only 1,081,900 available spaces for those starting secondary school.
“This indicates a significant shortfall of 1,489,144 secondary school places in 2023,” according to the CBC task force report. Officials from the Ministry of Education, on the other hand, are confident that there will be no problems.
Prof Fatuma Chege, Principal Secretary of the new State Department for Curriculum Reform Implementation, stated that the existing infrastructure will be rationalized to fit.
According to Prof Chege and Basic Education PS Jwan Julius, a nationwide audit of existing school infrastructure revealed that not all schools will require new classrooms.
Jwan stated that neighbouring schools will be encouraged to share some of the resources with other government institutions in order to reduce costs and maximize utilization. In addition, under-enrolled schools would be merged.
This year, the government has set aside Sh4 billion for school infrastructure development. This equates to approximately 5,000 new classrooms.
The focus, however, shifts to Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, who will choose which regions and schools will be prioritized for the additional classes.
According to the CBC report, the schools with the highest enrolment burden during the 2023 transition from primary to secondary school will be identified.
Nairobi, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Kisumu, Nakuru, Meru, Narok, Busia, Siaya, Kitui, and Trans Nzoia will have the highest secondary school enrollment despite limited classroom capacity.
Many of these counties will have to make additional space for up to 90,000 children who are expected to be admitted to secondary schools but cannot be accommodated due to space constraints.
Kakamega County, for example, is expected to make room for 93,703 new students. According to the report, Bungoma and Nairobi are expected to add 83,243 and 83,063 new spaces, respectively.
Nakuru County is expected to have 54,750 new secondary school students, Homa Bay 88, 827, and Narok 54, 663.
Kisumu schools will need to expand to accommodate 50,717 new students, while Busia and Meru will require 45,435 and 44,513 new spaces, respectively.
Kitui will need 43,861 new spaces, Siaya 41,723, Trans Nzoia 41,598, Kisii 39,662, Kiambu 38,912, Kwale 37,945, Kajiado 35,202, West Pokot 34,227, Uasin Gishu 33,331, Turkana 32,557, and Machakos 32,305.
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